The next morning, the forest greeted them with a delicate mist that clung to the moss and braided roots like silver threads. Lira awoke before Renkai and Rose, stretching lightly and already reaching for her journal. The fire from the previous night had died, leaving soft glows from distant fireflies and the rising sun filtering through the thick canopy.
"This place… it's almost alive," she whispered to herself, tracing the edge of a leaf with her fingers. She felt the faint energy of the forest coursing through the soil, twisting around roots and climbing the trunks of trees. Her senses reached out, brushing against something extraordinary—a small glimmer of life hiding among the shadows.
Renkai soon joined her, yawning but alert. "You always find the interesting stuff first," he said with a soft smile. "Be careful. I still feel… something following us."
